We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Valerie Magin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Valerie, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. You have been a long-time volunteer Board member with the Rabbit Sanctuary in Simpsonville SC, and we understand you’d like to share a risk-taking story about the Sanctuary’s founder.

Conventional wisdom suggests that when one desires to learn, one seeks out those with knowledge of the subject or skill. But what does one do when there are few if any experts and finding them isn’t as easy as a Google search?

Rewind 50+ years…before the internet, before social media, to a time when seeking information required a trip to the library in hopes of finding what you needed. While there were veterinarians available to treat dogs and cats and a few in large animal practices, finding one that treated exotics (as domestic rabbits are classified) was an exercise in futility. And that’s where Caroline Gilbert found herself.

Despite telling her then-8-year-old son he could not have a pet rabbit, he arrived home with a cardboard box riddled with holes. “What’s in the box?” Caroline asked. “Nothing,” replied Amos. “Nothing” turned out to be a domestic rabbit who was thereafter called Droovy.

Caroline was caught short! Her knowledge base was equine. Now if Amos had come home with a horse in the box, things would have been different. But Droovy was a domestic rabbit. What Droovy had going for himself were Caroline’s love of all animals, the innate sense of duty she had to do right by this beast, and the perseverance to figure things out. While these may not be defined as “skills,” they were definitely characteristics of her nature that were essential to Droovy’s wellbeing.

Living in the country and having access to farmers’ markets where domestic rabbits were sold as meat provided some insight into a rabbit’s basic diet. Country living also provided access to Feed and Seed stores which even at that time sold commercial chow (likely to supply the meat industry). But Droovy wasn’t being raised as meat. Caroline’s goal was not to fatten him up for market. In fact, no animal’s life was ever taken to grace her table. She was committed to Droovy for the long haul.

Caroline’s greatest obstacle, shared by many who seek to learn, was that she didn’t know what she didn’t know. Enter “trial and error.” As a vegetarian, Caroline’s family meal planning consisted primarily of those things we now know rabbits need and enjoy such as a variety of greens. Droovy would sit on the floor near her prep table and sample what came his way. Just handling this small being made Caroline immediately realize how fragile Droovy was; she knew to avoid harder to digest veggies and to caress him with care. Those who sold high quality hay soon became Caroline’s go to providers.

When asked how she has become one of the country’s most experienced and knowledgeable experts on domestic rabbits, her reply is simple, “evolution.” She says, “I watched and I listened.” Her greatest source of learning came from the rabbits themselves. As she became well known in the rescue community, more and more abandoned and abused domestic rabbits found their way to her door. Indoor accommodations such as Droovy had enjoyed could not be provided as her numbers grew. So she did what was done then and sadly still is by many. Cages were built.

Caroline’s power of observation detected how inappropriate and unsuitable cages were. The rabbits were living a solitary life on wire floors. Rabbits are social animals. Each needed a partner. Rabbits are diggers. They needed to feel dirt under their feet. With no other facilities providing housing for the number of domestic rabbits she had, there was no blueprint to follow. What to do? Create your own! So she did. By this time, the evolution of her understanding provided those must haves for safe, comfortable housing where the rabbits would thrive. Her designs of both the Rabbit Sanctuary, Inc.’s “rabbitats” and warren shelters are now the blueprints others follow, and her story has been shared in books by well known animal activist and Fund for Animals founder Cleveland Amory.

When pursuing a dream or life plan, others who have walked a similar path are invaluable resources and role models. Caroline didn’t have that advantage. From nothing, Caroline created a safe haven for one of the most vulnerable and least understood species.

Valerie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I can best describe myself as an animal advocate. I’ve been involved in animal rescue for more years than many of your readers have probably been alive!

What’s a lesson you think Caroline had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When Caroline’s young son came home with that first domestic rabbit (hereafter called Droovy), Caroline was not aware of the plight of domestic rabbits. Again, her area of interest and career choice was equine. She was prepared to board horses, provide riding lessons, and advocate for them. Perhaps it wasn’t so much as “unlearning” something but instead relearning that the abuse, neglect, and abandonment suffered by dogs, cats and even horses was very relevant to domestic rabbits. They suffered more than the other aforementioned animals whose plight is often well publicized. A starving horse is hard to miss. A stray dog or cat will often seek humans as they understand they can be a source of food and care. Domestic rabbits can often be mistaken for wild rabbits so their situations are often overlooked. Rabbits will hide in bushes, making them hard to find. Caroline had a rude awakening and with that the entire trajectory of her life changed.

If Caroline could go back in time, do you think she would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

Caroline is 87 years old and anyone half her age would be hard pressed to keep up with her. She is responsible for the entire oversight of the non-profit and feeds, cleans, and medicates the rabbits daily. She has said repeatedly that the rabbits changed her life. They gave her a purpose and still do. She often says she wonders if she would have lived this long or enjoyed such good health if it wasn’t for “these rabbits.” Yes, Caroline is doing exactly what she was meant to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rabbitsanctuaryinc.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RabbitatSC/